Page 154 of The Bittersweet Bond

Chapter 44

No Drama. We Promise.

Evin

The days leading up to Valentine's Day flew by in a blur, driven by a mix of chaos and the usual school routine. The school was a sea of red and pink balloons, love notes pinned everywhere, and little scribbled hearts covering the walls. At every corner, couples and friends were caught up in over-the-top Valentine's Day antics.

Evin and Bas deliberately kept their distance from all of it. No grand gestures, no public displays of affection—they simply weren’t ready to put themselves under everyone’s constant judgment.

Still, Evin noticed the curious glances from their classmates whenever she and Bas stood together during breaks. No one said anything outright, but it was there—the unspoken rumor surrounding them continued to grow. Bas didn’t seem to care, which both relieved and unsettled Evin. A part of her wanted to proudly and openly claim him as hers. But another part hesitated, guilt still gnawing at her. It was a constant battle between feeling bad for not telling Bas the truth and her desperate urge to erase that night from her life entirely.

Milka, on the other hand, was fully in Valentine's Day mode. She spent her breaks talking about Bellamy—the little details in his texts, their weekend plans.

"He wants to surprise me, but Ihatesurprises," she said once, rolling her eyes, though the bright smile on her face said otherwise.

On her free afternoons, Evin regularly studied with Ben. His patience and ability to break down even the trickiest problems into understandable steps often left her in awe.

“So, if you draw the tangent here, you pretty much get the turning point automatically,” he explained, tracing a line on the paper with his finger.

“I feel like I’ve been doing math wrong my entire life,” she murmured, copying his method. “Thanks for doing this with me.”

Ben grinned. “No problem. Math therapy is free for friends.”

“You’re seriously a lifesaver,” she said, setting down her pen for a moment to take a sip from her water bottle. “I don’t know how I’d get through this mess without you.”

“And here I thought you had Bas as your superhero on demand,” he teased, eyes still on the problem set.

"Superhero?" Evin let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "More like an antihero, to be honest."

“Ah, an antihero,” Ben mused, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. “I saw him with Dominic the other day. How’s everything going with that whole crew?”

Evin raised an eyebrow, scrunching her nose. “Dominic? Honestly, I can’t stand him. He’s such a smug asshole. Luckily, Bas doesn’t care about his opinion.”

Ben chuckled but didn’t push the topic further before Evin could rant any more. Instead, he studied her for a moment before asking, “And Sergej?”

The question made her freeze. She put down her pen and looked at him.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because I see how you react every time his name comes up,” he said matter-of-factly. “And I know you’re not the type to get nervous easily.”

Evin avoided his gaze, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s nothing, Ben. Really. I’ve got it under control.”

Ben leaned back, his eyes still locked onto hers. “You know what else I’ve noticed?” he asked suddenly, his tone gentle but serious.

Evin lifted her head, her pen frozen in her hand. “What?”

“You’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently,” he said bluntly, though without judgment. “I mean, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but… I’m a little worried. Are you really okay?”

Evin straightened, her shoulders pulling back slightly as she forced a smile.

“It’s for the performance,” she said, her voice calm but just a fraction too quick. “Ballet is tough. I have to stay in shape. But I’ve got everything under control, I promise.”

Ben didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he nodded slowly. “As long as you’re really taking care of yourself and not overdoing it.”

“I am,” Evin replied firmly, refocusing on the math sheet in front of her.

Ever since that stupid dizzy spell during practice, I’ve been careful. It won’t happen again.

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